by Kate Sheperd
Olivia Pearse always had her hands full with the rowdy men who stumbled into the saloon, but in the five years since living in New Mexico she had quickly learned how to stand up to any man. She was the prime jewel of the town, being one of the few women who lived in the predominantly male town. The fact of the matter was that Bloomingfield’s male population outnumbered the female population nearly five to one.
For this reason, Cole Pearse, although nearly thirty-five was without a wife. When he followed his father to Bloomingfield he expected to find himself working in the gold mines with the other men, but instead, his trustworthy attitude and muscular appearance quickly put him in the position of sheriff. Now, with three years experience under his belt, the town folk trusted in him to uphold the law of the town, but this reputation didn’t bring him any closer to getting a wife.
And the unbearable heat didn’t make his job any easier. He could feel the wetness in his hair, hiding under his sheriff’s hat. He could feel his shirt cling to his back as it was smothered by the thick material of his uniform. Even his sheriff’s badge, still shiny and new, would burn Cole if he happened to touch it. The only thing that could save him from the heat would be a nice cold beer at his father’s saloon: The Phoenix Alehouse.
Cole stepped inside to see the saloon stuffed with its regular customers. There were people lining the bar, a group of men playing cards in the corner, and various other people sitting together in conversation. As he looked up his eyes locked on his sister, Olivia, skillfully pouring someone a glass of beer. As she placed the glass in front of the patron she looked up to see her brother and smiled.
He exchanged the smile before taking off his hat and wiping the sweat off his brow with his handkerchief. He sat down on one of the open stools, looking exhausted.
“Hard day at work I take it?” Olivia inquired as she started to pour him a beer. She already knew his favorite brew and expertly filled up his mug, letting the foam spill over. She placed it on the bar in front of him before placing her hand on her hip and giving him a stern look. She wanted an answer.
“Well… to be honest… I didn’t do much, but this heat is killing me. This weather is nothing like old Concord. I miss the snow.” Olivia chuckled at her brother. They had lived in the desert for five years now, one would think he would get used to the weather, but Cole had always preferred the cold to the heat.
“Well… you just have to deal with it. Father is making a lot of money with this saloon and so are you with being the sheriff and all. I would count my blessings if I were you. You aren’t the one wearing this uncomfortable skirt and slaving away for all these men!” Olivia’s tongue was sharp as she reprimanded her brother’s complaining. Cole, although almost 18 years her elder, often times found himself being put in his place by his baby sister, who wasn’t even old enough to marry.
“I suppose.” Cole eventually muttered as he looked at the cold beer in front of him.
“And, I have been thinking. You are almost thirty-five. Thirty-five. You are turning into an old bachelor. If you don’t find a wife soon you’ll end up a bachelor forever. You don’t want that, do you? If we were back at Concord you would have married years ago.” Cole looked at his sister. He knew she was right but where was he supposed to find a wife when all the women in the town were either married off or were below the age of marriage, like his sister.
“And who would you like me to marry? Mrs. Lansky?” Olivia burst out laughing. Mrs. Lansky was a ninety-year-old widow that had lost her mind three years ago. Everyone stayed away from her.
“No, I do not, under any circumstances, want Mrs. Lansky as my sister-in-law,” Olivia said back as she continued to chuckle. “But, on a serious note, have you considered posting an ad back in Massachusetts? I heard that a lot of Boston newspapers do that now. You send a picture of yourself and a description and interested women will, hopefully, respond.” Olivia’s voice had taken on an excited tone.
“Hmm… I’m not sure Liv.” Olivia rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
*****
Three months later Cole visited the post office and picked up a letter from Claudia Finch. He looked down as he unfolded the letter and saw a small photo of a beautiful woman with a round, healthy face. Her eyes were dark and intelligent. He reached down and gently traced the outline of her derby hat perched on her head giving her a dignified look. She looked ready to take on the world.
*****
Two years and multiple letters later Cole Pearse and Claudia Finch were going to get married.
Chapter 2
Claudia said goodbye to her mother and father at the train station. She was on her way to Bloomingfield (with her sister Evelena) to marry her husband. Her parents had been skeptical of her answering the Concord man’s ad, but he was rather attractive and he lived in New Mexico. Everyone knew that the New Frontier was the place to get rich.
So the two sisters made their way to Bloomingfield. It was a long train ride, but with each other's company it passed by faster than they thought. Soon enough they were stepping into Bloomingfield’s train platform where they would start a new life.
At the train station, Cole Finch was waiting for his fiancé. He spotted her quickly by the derby hat (the same one from the picture) she was wearing. He walked up to her and smiled.
“Welcome to Bloomingfield.” Claudia looked at him with her dark eyes before giving him a polite curtsy. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He kissed her gloved hand gently before looking at Olivia, who was standing by his side. “This here is my sister Olivia. Olivia this is my fiancé Claudia.” Olivia beamed with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for you. I have been trying to get my brother to marry for ages. I am glad he finally found a woman as beautiful as yourself.” Olivia said which brought a rosy hint to Claudia’s cheeks. Cole wondered why she was staying so quiet. Was she nervous? Shy?
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. This here is my sister Evelena, she came with me to attend the wedding. Evelena, this is my soon-to-be husband Cole Finch.” Her voice was calm and stately and she seemed to be all business as she introduced her soon-to-be husband to his soon-to-be sister-in-law. She seemed to be highly dignified and Cole liked that.
*****
The couple did not mix as well as they had hoped, however. Throughout their letters, it seemed like they would be a really good match in real life, but unfortunately they did not just fall madly in love. Instead, they were like oil and water and tended to keep out of each other’s way until the wedding. Maybe they just needed some time to get to know each other.
However, when the wedding came along, their situation was no better. For this reason, as well as the town’s dismal excuse for a church, the wedding was nothing spectacular. Claudia had on a beautiful dress that her mother had lent her and Cole wore his best sheriff’s suit since it was the only suit he owned. They went through the ceremony and said their ‘I dos’, but that was the end of it.
After that, they were no more husband and wife than they were before the wedding. Still they stayed away from each other. In fact, even on their wedding day they slept in separate beds. It just seemed they weren’t that great of a match after all, but they were married now and there was nothing they could do but live with their decision.
But, in all honesty, neither one of them were upset by their relationship. Cole was used to being a bachelor and living with Claudia just meant he continued the bachelor lifestyle with someone living in his home. Claudia too went about living on normally. Throughout her early marriage, she always had a smile on her pretty face and although their marriage was odd, the couple didn’t seem bothered by it.
They were the talk of the town, but even that didn’t bother them. They were an odd couple, sure, but at least they weren’t miserable. Olivia, however, was not a fan of the relationship and constantly berated her brother to act more like a husband, but it was of no use: oil and water simply do
not mix.
*****
On the other hand, Evelena quickly became a town favorite in Bloomingfield. She frequented The Phoenix Alehouse often and it was there that she found her husband. He was a kind-hearted saloon regular that spent his days working in the mines.
His name was Jack and he had fallen in love with Evelena the day she stepped into the saloon. It had been love at first sight and three months after arriving at Bloomingfield, Evelena found a ring on her finger. She was quickly married and the two of them were inseparable.
It seemed like Evelena had the relationship that everyone envisioned Claudia and Cole would have. Claudia, instead of being jealous of her sister, was very happy for her. The two of them were rather close and Claudia was just happy that her sister had found love in the mining town.
And so the two girls were now married and residents of the small town. Their lives were radically different, but that didn’t mean that they would grow apart. Instead, just the opposite would happen. Instead, in the coming months they would get closer and closer together as certain circumstances brought them together. Soon they would be spending a lot of time together and their husbands would just assume it was something women did. They were sadly mistaken.
Chapter 3
Six months into his marriage, Cole was still sleeping in a separate bed from his wife. He had tried to lay down with her once, but the experience was awkward and he vowed not to do it again unless they both wanted it. Marrying Claudia was like having no wife at all, but Cole couldn’t complain. He was one of the few men in Bloomingfield who even had a wife.
So he went about his normal life as a sheriff and then would come home to his wife knitting or stitching and they wouldn’t say a word to each other. Six months into their marriage and they were still like strangers. Cole barely knew anything about his wife and while this troubled him, he never bothered to fix the problem.
Claudia also never attempted to make the marriage into a marriage. Instead, she treated her husband as a roommate. She would give him space and he would leave her alone. In this way, they never had marital problems but they never had any marital pleasure either. Everyone in the town wondered how long they would last.
*****
One day, Claudia was walking through the town with her derby hat perched on her head. Everyone knew her by now to be the sheriff’s wife. She seemed to be a plague to other men and they stayed away from her. Even the other women tended to stay away from her, but she continued to walk through the town with her head held high and that dignified look in her eye.
As she was walking, she headed toward the post. She was expecting some mail from her family back in Massachusetts and wanted to pick it up before the post closed. As she entered the building the old man who ran the post gave her a toothless smile.
“Ah, Mrs. Pearse, or should I call you Ms. Finch?” The old man teased. Unlike all the other residents of Bloomingfield, he had no remorse about teasing the odd marriage. He had been a minister in his youth and he felt like their loveless marriage was an abomination to the sanctity of marriage itself.
Claudia, however, paid him no mind. She was not offended or hurt with these comments. She knew what the town thought of her and she was not concerned with their judgments.
“I am here for my mail,” she said curtly, looking at the man as she took off her gloves. The man gave her a dirty look before going to the back and rummaging through all the mail that he had. Finally, he emerged with an envelope in his hand.
“A letter from Boston,” he said.
She grabbed it and left without exchanging another word with the man. She walked back to her home in a brisk pace. She hated to be outside in the sweltering heat of New Mexico. When she finally made her way back home she could feel the drips of sweat falling down her back. If there was one thing she hated about her new home it was the heat.
Once inside, Claudia opened up the letter and her hands shook as she read the words. She read and reread the words on the page as her face started to fill with emotions. Her full lips quivered and she sat down, taking it all in.
She suddenly heard Cole coming inside, however, and hurriedly composed herself. She couldn’t let him see the letter. So she quickly stuffed it into her bosom and patted her pale cheeks back to life. As Cole entered the living room there was something different about his attitude. He seemed up to something.
“Are you busy today?” He suddenly asked. His face was a little red and he seemed excited. Claudia looked at him curiously, wondering what he was about. She shook her head.
“Splendid. Now, we have been married six months and we have yet to act like husband and wife.” Claudia was about to protest when he shook his head. “Let me continue. Now I don’t even mind that we sleep in separate beds or that I have to go to the saloon in order to get my meals, but I do want to get to know you, Claudia. You are a very beautiful woman and I want to get to know the woman I wrote letters to.” Cole could feel his face flush as he admitted this to his wife.
Claudia looked at him a little dumbfounded. She wondered where he was going with this. She wondered if he was being genuine. Maybe he was right. Maybe they should get to know each other more and maybe they could be more like husband and wife. Before Claudia could respond, however, Cole continued.
“So I was thinking that I could teach you how to ride a horse.” Claudia’s eyes went big.
“A horse?” Her voice betrayed her as it sounded shocked but excited at the same time. Cole nodded and grinned.
“Yes. It is not uncommon for a woman in the Frontier to be able to ride a horse. As the sheriff’s wife, you would get a lot more respect if you knew how to ride a horse.” Claudia looked at him again. She was about to protest when something inside of her shifted.
“Okay. If you are willing to teach me then I am willing to learn.” Claudia’s dark eyes shone brightly as she looked at her husband. Maybe this man wasn’t as strange as she thought him to be. Maybe there was a potential there for them to be a happy couple. Maybe she just needed to give him a chance.
*****
Claudia was a quick learner. In little less than a month, Cole had taught her how to properly ride a horse and she had even ventured into trotting around. It seemed like Claudia was a born natural and as Cole watched his wife handle his horse there was a sense of pride bubbling up inside of him. And it was through this teacher-student relationship that the couple got one step closer to being husband and wife.
Chapter 4
The Phoenix Alehouse was where many Bloomingfield citizens went to get their news. The town newspaper distributed its first copies to the saloon and it was where they made the most profit. Patrons would pick up a newspaper and drink a glass of beer as they read through the news.
Today, the patrons were abuzz with the two headline stories.
“Did you hear about the gold-train thief? That lad must be rich by now!” One patron said as he took a swig of his beer. His friend nodded.
“Yeah, it seems he never takes very much but, the gold-mining industry has lost about 5% of their revenue to this thief. What do you suppose he needs all that money for?” The man with the beer shook his head.
“I don’t know but I sure as hell wish I were him! I would be rolling with the best. I sure as well wouldn’t be slaving away building those railroads!” He took another swig and the foam gently hugged his upper lip before he wiped it away.
The two men continued to talk about the gold-train thief. It seemed like there was a man stealing from the gold-trains while they were in town. He had apparently done this multiple times, but the authorities had yet to get any leads. There was a rumor that it might even be a group of people working together.
In another part of the saloon, a group of men was looking at the second story.
“I can’t believe that sheriff hasn’t caught him yet!”
“I know... I thought he was one of the best sheriffs in New Mexico and yet we have a murderer in our town running amuck. It’s disgusting.” The man sno
rted at his own words as he looked at his friends.
“The worst part is that the murderer is picking off the longstanding good citizens of Bloomingfield. Who knows if we aren’t next on his list?” Another man spoke up looking a little nervous. He was a scrawny looking man and it seemed like he had a good reason for fearing for his life.
“Well if that man tries to come for me… I will strangle him!” The table erupted into laughter at the response and the mood lightened.
But, it was no joke that there was indeed a murderer on the loose in Bloomingfield. People were now afraid to be home alone after a certain hour since the murderer always killed his victims when they were home alone. He would usually shoot them while they were asleep, the sound ringing throughout the town, marking the death of one more citizen. It seemed like no one was safe and that no one was doing anything to stop the killer’s reign of terror. It seemed like the police force was failing the town.
*****
Meanwhile, as the saloon’s patrons were reading the newspaper, Cole and Claudia had woken up early in order to go riding. Claudia was now rather skilled in riding a horse and they often time took rides together on the outskirts of the town. In these rides, they would often talk and it almost felt like they were forming some sort of relationship.
“Beautiful day today,” Claudia said softly as she looked up at the blue sky. Cole approached her and gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Not as beautiful as you, dear.” They had certainly become more affectionate, but these pleasant comments were still the limit of their affection. They still slept in separate beds and still their lips never met at the end of the day.
Claudia’s cheek, nonetheless still colored at the compliment and she smiled at her husband. She touched his hand gently and squeezed it. “You flatter me.” Her eyes were bright as she looked at him and the wind gently played with the derby hat perched on her head.